With the established ecosystem of Solana meeting the rise of Sui, which one should we bet on in this round of the L1 cycle?

The long-established public chain ecosystem Solana (SOL) is facing the rising momentum of Sui (SUI), becoming a mainstream altcoin project that investors are competing to follow. Both are fast, scalable, and cost-effective blockchains, boasting strong ecosystems and dedicated communities. But if you could only choose one to get through this cycle, which one would you choose?

In a new video released on the Altcoin Buzz YouTube channel, analyst Maddie conducted an in-depth analysis of these Layer 1 (L1) giants. The video delves into the fundamentals, performance, market potential, and future development direction of each project.

(Source: Youtube screenshot)

SOL Price Outlook and Ecosystem Strength

Solana was one of the biggest winners in the last bull market. In 2020, the price of SOL was only $1.50. By the peak in 2021, it had reached around $260, increasing 173 times in less than two years. It became a model for fast Blockchain and was praised for its low costs and the growing influence of NFTs and DeFi.

Maddie pointed out that Solana not only survived the bear market but also underwent self-transformation. After the FTX collapse, many people lost hope in it. But Solana addressed one of its most pressing issues: network outages. Since October 2022, the chain has only experienced two outages. This is a significant improvement and indicates that Solana is becoming more stable.

The adoption by institutional investors is also continuously growing. Solana recently launched a staking ETF, with a trading volume of 33 million dollars on its first day. A spot ETF is also in preparation. Large institutions such as BlackRock and Franklin Templeton are currently involved in tokenizing real-world assets on Solana.

Meme coins are another huge driving force. Whether you are a fan or not, this ecosystem is filled with popular tokens like PUMP and BONK. Solana is also expanding into the tokenized stock space through its new xStocks feature, which allows users to trade stocks around the clock on DeFi platforms.

The current trading price of SOL is approximately 161 USD, with a market cap of 86.7 billion USD. Maddie does not expect it to rise 100 times from here, but if the price of Solana reaches the range of 600 to 800 USD, it is still possible to increase 4 to 5 times. For a project of this scale, such growth rate is quite steady.

SUI price and momentum are rapidly recovering

Now let's talk about the new challenger: Sui. It has only been online for two years, but it has already entered the top ten in total value locked (TVL). Maddie emphasized that Sui's performance has surpassed several well-known blockchain companies and it has a rapidly growing ecosystem.

Platforms like the top-tier decentralized exchange Bluefin and lending protocol SWELEND are experiencing tremendous growth. Sui has also launched TBTC, bringing Bitcoin into its ecosystem, and is initiating some projects supporting airdrops, such as Momentum and Walrus.

Grayscale recently highlighted Sui in a report, praising Walrus for being up to 80% cheaper in data storage compared to competitors. It has already entered the ranks of the top 150 tokens, providing decentralized storage for various assets ranging from NFTs to AI models.

Even during the market pullback, the price of SUI has remained stable. Currently just below $4, Maddie believes that the price of the token could reach $15 in this cycle, nearly 4 times its current value. Compared to the much larger Solana, Sui's market capitalization is smaller at only $13.8 billion, which provides it with greater growth potential.

The developer activity is high, user growth momentum is strong, and the ecosystem is continuously expanding game and AI use cases. Sui currently has over 230 million accounts and continues to set new highs in multiple metrics.

Which one is more worth betting on?

Maddie believes that Solana is a more mature and safer choice. It has deep liquidity, a good track record, and a solid foundation in the fields of DeFi, NFT, and now ETFs. For conservative investors, SOL may be a better short-term option.

On the other hand, SUI is younger, growing faster, and full of innovation. Its market capitalization is smaller, but its potential for growth is greater. Maddie believes that if SUI remains stable, it is expected to narrow the gap with Solana in the long run. The object-centric architecture of SUI, cheaper storage solutions, and explosive growth in DeFi make it a project worth following closely.

If you seek stability and prefer slow but steady returns, Solana may be your ideal choice. If you aim for higher returns and are willing to take on more risk, Sui might be your ideal option.

Both chains are important participants in the current cycle. Whether you are following the SUI price or the SOL price, it is clear that both chains are among the most noteworthy L1 projects to watch in 2025.

Maddie is slightly leaning towards SUI in this matchup, but she encourages the audience to make decisions based on their own goals and risk tolerance. Whichever path you choose, the competition between Sui and Solana is far from over.